SCOOPS' PICKS: TRINKET GAME TROPHIES NOT INCLUDED!

Last Week: 3-5
Season: 59-55
Net Gain/Loss: + $133.50

“We let ‘em off the hook!”

Was that Denny Green or Tim Brewster at the press conference microphone? Anyway, a just below .500 weekend lost me some money, but didn’t kill me, so it looks like even a 0-fer weekend will put me the plus money category until bowl season (closed circuit to all readers: Scoops will be absent from his picks during Thanksgiving Weekend & conference championship weekend and will not be back until bowl season).

It’s rivalry weekend! I love rivalry weekend. It makes a game between Washington & Washington State seem like they’re playing for something other than each team’s quest for it’s 1st win over a Division I opponent in 2008. It allows for Vanderbilt to show their intelligence over rival Tennessee. It allows for Cal & Stanford to wax intellectually over if it’s really more difficult to get into Stanford but it takes more work & effort to receive a degree from Cal due to all professors handing out A’s at Palo Alto like they were hooker ad cards on Las Vegas Blvd.

MINNESOTA (+6) over Iowa: The pig…..the pig…..the pig, the pig, the pig. Mostly, it’s the last college football game at the Metrodome unless General Mills or Target start up the Mall of America Bowl before the Vikings build a new retractable stadium or they blow up the dome. Minnesota had a bit better OL protection last week in Madison, which allowed the offense to move the ball a bit. Iowa is similar to Wisconsin in that they don’t blitz a whole lot, so Minnesota should be able to move the ball a little. Iowa’s 23 year old RB should keep his streak of 100 yard games because they’ll feed him & feed him and nobody’s stopped him yet. Here’s not only what to expect, but what you can count on. A last Metrodome loss by the Gophers that defies all logic and reason. I’m thinking an Overtime game in which Iowa misses a FG or has a turnover with the first possession in OT and Minnesota, only needing a point of any kind, has a handoff go off somebody’s helmet right into the hands of a streaking CB for Iowa to win on a defensive TD in OT? Or a fair catch punt on the last play of regulation allowing for a free kick? Or a game winning drop kick by Nile Kinnick? The possibilities are all there. Either way, it will be a gut wrenching Gopher loss by 3 points that makes all Gopher fans want to set torch to the dome immediately as soon as the game ends. I will be the one with the pitchfork and gas can helping accelerate the blaze.
SCOOPS’ PICK: IOWA 30, MINNESOTA 27

OVER (+/- 41.5) IOWA @ MINNESOTA: The OL seems to have figured a few things out for Minnesota, which should allow them to get into the 20s. And Iowa’s been in the 20s for many weeks now.

NORTHWESTERN (+130) over Illinois: Bowl position is at stake here: Illinois just wanting to become bowl eligible & Northwestern wanting to gain a better bowl position even though they’ll probably get passed over due to their small little elite alumni “rah” section. Juice Williams is not playing so hot right now, and Northwestern should be a bit crisper on offense than they were in the snow/rain in Ann Arbor. But Zook’s got a top-10 recruiting class coming in, so it’s all good for Illinois, right?
SCOOPS’ PICK: NORTHWESTERN 27, ILLINOIS 24

OHIO STATE (-20.5) over Michigan: Does Michigan’s defense have the heart to make one final emotional game? Perhaps. But Michigan’s offense, on the other hand, will have a big batch of turnovers making it easier for Ohio State to score.
SCOOPS’ PICK: OHIO STATE 37, MICHIGAN 13

Michigan State (+14.5) over PENN STATE: Penn State started out a bit flat last week, probably to the emotional let down of the Iowa loss. Michigan State is on a mission to show that the pasting they took from Ohio State was a fluke. Ringer & the Spartans make it interesting, cover the spread, but PSU locks up their Rose Bowl bid with the win.
SCOOPS’ PICK: PENN STATE 34, MICHIGAN STATE 24

PURDUE (-12) over Indiana: Swan song for Joe Tiller. I thank you for getting to watch Billy Dicken, Drew Brees, Brandon Vance, Kyle Orton, Brandon Kirsch and Curtis Painter shred the Gopher defense over the past 11 seasons. I thank Indiana for nothing other than the fact that I get to laugh at their basketball band for wearing vests & bow ties during all games.
SCOOPS’ PICK: PURDUE 38, INDIANA 20

ARIZONA (-2.5) over Oregon State: Two games away from a disgusting re-match between Oregon State and Penn State. My theory here is that God is a football fan. He enjoys a warm grill, a few burgers & other fine animals on his plate, a frosty root beer, and a game on the best HD imaginable. And he usually allows games to take their course, allowing the fine student-athletes decide the outcomes on the field. But he’s stepping in here knowing that this is probably the best shot for a Beaver trip up. God wants a USC-Penn State game in the greatest football setting He created. God’s stepping in on this one, for all of mankind.
SCOOPS’ PICK: ARIZONA 27, OREGON STATE 24

Clemson (-2.5) over VIRGINIA: Quietly amongst the coaching change, Clemson has started putting up points. Of course, when the BCS bowl expectations have fallen by the wayside and there’s no pressure.
SCOOPS’ PICK: CLEMSON 41, VIRGINIA 30

Texas Tech (+7) over OKLAHOMA: The big one that will decide how a lot of the puzzle pieces fall into place. Offense should be the name of the game. It what should be a classic due to the fact that you have two outstanding QB’s playing, I shall be DVRing this one while I’ll be setting torch to the dome.
SCOOPS’ PICK: OKLAHOMA 45, TEXAS TECH 42